18" Rims, pressure limits?

tom.boswell.79 · June 6, 2016

I have P265/65R18 GY Wrangler SR-A tires on my aluminum OEM rims. I want to upgrade to LT tires for the stiffer ride when towing. The LTs go to 80 psi vs 51 on the OEM tires. Will my rims take the same size tire at the higher pressure with no problems? Thanks.

TxTruckMan · June 6, 2016

Yes, your rims can easily take the higher pressure. And FYI, your stock tires can also handle the max load rating of your truck. No need to upgrade unless you just want to.

Donstar · June 6, 2016

I have P265/65R18 GY Wrangler SR-A tires on my aluminum OEM rims. I want to upgrade to LT tires for the stiffer ride when towing. The LTs go to 80 psi vs 51 on the OEM tires. Will my rims take the same size tire at the higher pressure with no problems? Thanks.

I did the same "upgrade" with my last truck which proved to be a waste of money. Not only do they cost more to purchase, your mpg suffers noticeably with the extra un-sprung weight. As mentioned above, a good quality, properly inflated P rated tire will handle any load your truck is rated to handle. It is easy to find better tires than OEM but a LT rated tire is overkill on a 1500.

tom.boswell.79 · June 7, 2016

I did the same "upgrade" with my last truck which proved to be a waste of money. Not only do they cost more to purchase, your mpg suffers noticeably with the extra un-sprung weight. As mentioned above, a good quality, properly inflated P rated tire will handle any load your truck is rated to handle. It is easy to find better tires than OEM but a LT rated tire is overkill on a 1500.

Thanks, I'm surprised it didn't make a positive difference for you. A lot of people on the RV forums recommend upgrading to LT tires with a positive impact. I'm well within both GVW and GCW for both truck and trailer. I run them at max cold pressure. The tires just seem to have too much play in the side walls. Years ago I had a van and extra load tires made a huge difference in how well it handled. Since I'm keeping the size the same, I'm hoping the extra weight wouldn't hurt my mileage much.

Donstar · June 7, 2016

Thanks, I'm surprised it didn't make a positive difference for you. A lot of people on the RV forums recommend upgrading to LT tires with a positive impact. I'm well within both GVW and GCW for both truck and trailer. I run them at max cold pressure. The tires just seem to have too much play in the side walls. Years ago I had a van and extra load tires made a huge difference in how well it handled. Since I'm keeping the size the same, I'm hoping the extra weight wouldn't hurt my mileage much.

My trailer was about 3500 lbs and not used very often so any potential advantage of the LT tire was not appreciated. If I did decide to go to a large trailer where E rated tires were actually needed, I'd want the 2500 series truck to go with them! Based on your research you may feel more secure with the LT rated tire on your 1/2 ton. This is a valid reason in itself.

Blue2500CC · June 11, 2016

Tom,

When towing, do the rear tires have a "wiggle" going down the road? What does your trailer weigh?

With our '10-1500 we had that dreaded p rated "wiggle" towing our ~7200lb, 920lb tw tt. Replaced the factory tires with a set of Cooper A/T3's LR C and had solid towing with them. LR C only need 50psi as well.

Also consider going to a 275/65/18. I didn't notice much of a mileage difference as the dimensions are almost the same, and the 275's were considerably cheaper in price vs the 265.

Good luck deciding!

Big Whiskey · June 11, 2016

You'll notice more towing stability with the stiffer sidewalls on the LT tires. I've been happy with both sets (Cooper AT3's and Toyo AT2's) of C range LT's that I've ran on my current truck. And yes, your rims can handle the extra PSI.